Shadows of Light
by KayE reN
Summary: Try choosing between the *one* you love, and the ones who love you. Meet Raven. pwease R+R!
1. Shadows of Light

Hey guys! My last story just sort of died out, but I might write on it again when I feel the intuition! Sorries. I have none for those characters right now, in fact, I think they've gone on a holiday and these new characters have swamped my mind. Dear god, wot should I do? Tsk tsk. *hangs head* I had no other way but to write this...hopefully the feeling will keep comin'. Please read and review, I would be utmost grateful to any soul who can spare a moment, pwease?? I'll give u a lollie? I have resoted to desperate measures.  
  
Love 'n' watermelons  
  
Kaye~~  
  
~~everything was gone, and all that was left, were shadows of light~~  
  
Chapter one SHADOWS OF LIGHT  
  
Moonlight poured in through the window, and landed in a silver pool on the rich mahogany floor. A light creaking of the floorboards belied that there was someone in the room.  
  
Raven was awake, and she knew that she was not alone. Her hand was clasped tightly around the cross which lay on her heart and prayed. She always prayed. Not because she believed in God but because the words forming noiselessly on her mouth held a familiarly sweet comfort, and partly because it had become a habit. Her eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings and her whole body seemed to tremble uncontrollably among the bed sheets. But she wouldn't shout or scream or cry.  
  
Because Raven wasn't weak.  
  
She might look like a fragile china doll, but her will was as hard as iron, and her courage didn't break. Couldn't break.  
  
He had come. She always knew he would come, because he could never let go of her mother. Because he had a hatred inside him which fueled the flames roaring out of his eyes.  
  
Because he was her father.  
  
Raven opened her eyes and forced back the urge to vomit when she saw that his chin was smeared with blood and a piece of raw flesh drooped from the corner of his smirking mouth. She reached in deep within her self, her prayers becoming a trance, and somehow she knew that her mother was gone. She closed her eyes from the disgusting sight and reached in quick for the silver pool of light somewhere within her. Silver, like the colour of the moonlight. Silver, like the glint of the cross on her dark pajamas. Silver, like the colour of her eyes.  
  
She felt the rush of adrenalin every time she used her magic, it soared through her veins, bringing with it excitement, and the smell of power. Silver light shone form the very pores of her skin and poured out of her arms which were arched in a semicircle of anguish above her head. The pool of moonlight on the floor seemed to throb and pulse with her magic, and she shouted out for the sheer joy and agony of it. The room was spinning, and all the time her power was building, a sheer quicksilver wall of hurt, passion, hatred, torment, a wave of her inner most feelings surging towards the monster who was supposed to be her father. His face registered shock, he never knew she had this kind of power, but before he could utter a sound, all there was left in the room was silver dust raining down like snowflakes on everything, her hair, on her eyelashes, on her ivory skin, and on her soft, warm lips, melting before they could settle. The room was a turbulence of different shades of silver, silver so bright that it was almost white.  
  
Raven allowed her gaze to wonder, and instead of the pool of moonlight on the floor, there was a pool of ashes and blood.  
  
It was then that the giddiness of having harnessed her magic died away. That was her father. A tear trickled down her silver dusted cheek, and dripped onto her hand which was still tightly clasped around the cross.  
  
The room was still.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Raven! Come down and eat breakfast!" the gentle sound of her grandmother's voice and the strong smell of freshly brewed coffee lured her out of bed. Her feet hit the carpet, and she changed out of her white pajamas, carefully checking that her silver cross was still there. She fumbled around her desk for a scrunchy and pulled her hair back into a messy black pony tail. She caught the sight of herself in the mirror and nearly laughed. She seemed so much older, though it had only been a year, and 17 year old Raven had adopted to this relaxed comfortable style of life with her grandmother.  
  
This was what it meant to be a witch. And a Harman, or Hearthwoman, *the* most powerful line of witches who were direct descendants of Hannah Hearthwoman, the first witch. And the little old lady in front of her in fact was the crone of all witches. After the old crone died, her grandmother had been appointed crone and was the head of a circle of some of the most powerful witches in all time. It was a dangerous job, but she loved it.  
  
There was already a glass of steaming coffee on the table and Raven took a sip, then sighed "Grandma, you're a legend!"  
  
Her grandma smiled cheekily, "Yes, I know dear. Nothing like coffee in the morning to get you up and ready for your first day at this new school."  
  
Raven nearly spluttered coffee all over the cream coloured carpet. "What?!" cough, cough, "Grandma! I thought I didn't have to go to school till the end of this term! You very just nearly killed your granddaughter here! Don't surprise me like that!"  
  
Words streamed out of her mouth like a bursting dam.  
  
Her Grandma smiled, "I didn't want you to get too worked up about it."  
  
"Worked up?! Granny!" she knew her grandma hated that word and smiled inwardly to herself, "I'm supposed to go to school in, in-" she looked down at herself, "a pair of old track pants and a worn woolen jumper?! And socks which don't match?! Grandma, why didn't you tell me earlier?"  
  
Her grandma looked sheepish. "Yes, well, dear, with all the things going on in the circle I had forgotten...."  
  
Her voice drifted off and she looked sad. "I must be getting old..."  
  
"Oh Grandma!" Raven regretted her harsh words and put her arms around the old lady's frail body, "You're not old. People who see you mistake you for a forty year old!" it was true. Though her grandma had grown older the past year, her skin still had the minimum of wrinkled for a woman her age, and her hair was still rich, though white. The old lady smiled, and murmured, "Well, you'd better get changed. The bus comes in 10 minutes."  
  
"Oh yeah!" she had almost forgotten about the school bit.  
  
Raven ran up the steps and sprinted down the hall to her bedroom. She stumbled through the door and rummaged in her closet for clothes. A fluffy blue jumper and black pants. Changed socks whilst pulling a comb roughly through her long blue black hair, guess where she had gotten her name from?  
  
In two minutes she was down the stairs, placed a quick kiss on her grandmother's soft cheeks and dashed out the door, only pushing herself harder for the bus stop when she heard the rumble of the bus hot on her trail. The bus was just a little bit in front of her, but she could make it. Damn! The bus was not stopping.  
  
All the running for nothing. "Come back *^$#@!" she swore. Raven looked up and was surprised when the rumbling vehicle came to a hesitant halt.  
  
She started running again, and the doors opened.  
  
The bus driver looked like he was about to fall asleep on the spot. She flashed her most winsome smile, the bus driver stared back, and slowly began to smile, his stern face breaking into a laugh.  
  
Raven knew she was quite a sight, but not to this extent. The bus driver opened his mouth and said, "You're a funny girl."  
  
Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult? Her silver eyes flashed and she went down the bus, where 30 or so students were looking at her with open mouths.  
  
Raven was confused, and was relieved when a girl moved her back in a gesture for her to sit down. "Nobody has seen Old Bluey there laugh. We were sure he couldn't but you..."  
  
The girl laughed, her whole face lighting up, her warm brown eyes staring curiously at Raven. "Well, let me introduce myself. I'm Jaycee. You can call me Jay."  
  
Raven hesitated before answering hesitantly, "I'm Raven."  
  
There was an awkward silence, and the whole bus seemed to be holding in the same breath. Raven opened her mouth to speak but Jaycee, or Jay, shot a desperate look in her direction. "Shhhh..." She whispered.  
  
Raven froze. The bus came to a stop, and a gang a black clothed boy stepped onto the bus. People seemed to be looking at them with real fear.  
  
Raven thought, jerks. You can tell. The gang was heading towards them, and the leader, so it seemed, looked at Jay and sniggered, "What's with that new hairdo of yours? Going for the bald crew look?"  
  
To Raven's astonishment, no one stood up to him.  
  
She really didn't want to embarrass herself on the first day of school, but as the guy continued in his mocking way and Jay's eyes ffilled with tears, she couldn't stand it anymore.  
  
"Who the hell do you think you are, picking on someone like that! I think her haircut looks quite nice."  
  
The boy turned his gaze on her, she expected mocking, anger even, but not this cold pit of epiphany, not like all the darkness in the world was gathered behind those fathomless eyes ready to lash out. His eyes were so black you couldn't see the pupils. Such a contrast to her own silver eyes. One light, one dark, ironic really.  
  
The guy walked towards her, and her fists clenched.  
  
"what are you going to do about it, *little girl*?"  
  
so she was slight. But she hated been called little girl. And he was so close. So, to show her affection for him she punched him. Hard. Across the cheek. Fin was taken by surprise.  
  
The moment her hand brushed against his cheek, her world tumbled into a turbulence of shadows, shadows of light, and shadows of shadows. She pulled her hand back, nursing her fist. That really hurt.  
  
The guy looked at her. And for some reason, smiled.  
  
Raven was truly freaked out. And so was everyone else in the bus. This new girl had made two people who had never so much even showed emotion before smile. The bus was silent as the students waited for the gang leader's reaction.  
  
A boy behind him called out, "Fin! Let me get her!"  
  
Fin turned an icy glare on the boy and uttered one word. "No. I can *take care* of her myself."  
  
He turned to the vermin who had just collapsed his world.  
  
"Meet me at the park after school."  
  
A shiver ran down her spine.  
  
The bus was silent for the whole trip.  
  
When they arrived at school, Jay dragged Raven off and whispered to her, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks, "Sorry, I'm so sorry! God Raven, you shouldn't have, now, now-" Jay choked on her words.  
  
"Now what?"  
  
"Raven. You know anyone that monster asks to meet ever returns to school? I mean, it's as though they disappeared."  
  
Raven put on a reassuring smile, "He can't be that bad. Don't worry, I can handle him."  
  
Jay looked at her with wide eyes and smiled wobbly, "and punch him like you did on the bus?"  
  
Raven laughed, "Yes, punch him like the way I did on the bus."  
  
She didn't know why she had punched him really, only that he made her angry and that he was teasing her friend. The only friend she had right now. But she was worried. Although she was a witch, she sensed that he was dangerous. It was such a familiar feeling. Like when her mother had....  
  
God, he was a vampire! Why didn't she realize that earlier? As much as she wanted to deny it, Raven was still part vampire, although she didn't have to drink blood, because she was mostly witch.  
  
The bell rang, and Raven followed Kay down the hall, with curious gazes burning into her back.  
  
In the form room the teacher called out her name, and made her stand up in front of the whole class.  
  
"Tell the class a little about yourself, Miss Raven Hana." She had to change her surname in case anyone in the school reconised her.  
  
The class sniggered.  
  
Raven stood up and brushed her hair back away from her face, her cheeks flushed a pleasant pink colour.  
  
She felt eyes staring at her, and she looked around, when a dark gaze slammed into her.  
  
God, now there was no way of avoiding meeting him. The Vampire.  
  
She searched her mind for words, and smiled, right at the vampire.  
  
Fin felt as though he was trapped by those endless silver eyes, like a vast field of brilliant stars which glittered and shone. And her lips, curved in a sweet smile. Such an innocent girl. It was a pity really that he would have to finish her off. He wouldn't mind having some fun with her.  
  
Raven raised her eyes so she was gazing directly at him, and put some of her power behind her words. "My name is Raven, and I hate bullies. People who pick on weaker ones because they themselves are too scared of being seen as weak."  
  
Fin's eyes flared and changed to a dangerously dark blue, like a raging beast constrained to these windows of the soul, a raging beast whose hearted had dropped a million miles when this, this vermin laid her eyes on her. And her words held such a power and authority in them that he was drawn in by the soft sound of her voice, and intrigued by this mysterious girl who was not afraid of what she saw in his eyes.  
  
No, he changed his mind. He wasn't going to toy with her. She had to *disappear*. Otherwise he might just drown in those magnetic silver eyes.  
  
Raven smiled, and sat down.  
  
The class was quiet, then someone clapped, and the clapping echoed around the room. It was Fin. The class was silent, and then the teacher seemed to jerk herself out of her stupor and, her mouth set in a grim line and her hands twiddling nervously on her skirt commanded, "Thank you, Raven. Class, we shall start today's lesson."  
  
The bell rang for the last lesson of school; she had almost forgotten what it was like to have a ton of books weighing down your arms, and she was definitely not used to it. Some immature jerk ran past her and bumped her arms, causing books and paper to fly all over the place.  
  
"Jerk!" she shouted to the running figure.  
  
Jay came around, and bent down to help her pick up her stuff. She reached automatically for her cross and her heart fell as she realized it was not there.  
  
Damnation to hell!  
  
Raven threw her books into Jay's surprised hands and chased after the boy. She was ure he had taken it.  
  
Her feet pounded on the lino flooring of the hall, chasing that shadow which was just in front of her.  
  
Closer, closer.  
  
The shadow was gone.  
  
All the swearwords she could think of streamed out of her mouth. She was not having a good day.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fin. And he had a guy in one hand, and her silver necklace in another.  
  
Raven ran towards him.  
  
"Give it too me!"  
  
"Is that the way to ask?" Fin smirked.  
  
Raven snatched the necklace out of his hand. She didn't know why she was so angry, why did she even care? She spat out "Stay away from me, you LEECH!"  
  
Fin looked surprised, and she stalked off. How the hell did she know?  
  
Fin ran and stood in front of her.  
  
Raven was looking at the ground, and wondering why the Goddess she was so emotional today when she walked into his chest.  
  
And the floor dropped out from under her.  
  
She probed his mind, it was like his eyes, it seemed as though where there was once light in his mind were now only shadows.  
  
His whole mind was clothed in darkness, but, and she probed deeper, she realized there was something veiled under a white sheet which seemed to ache to stretch and grow, she reached out a delicate hand and with trembling fingers touched the edge of the satiny white cloth. Before she could get a good look at it, she was smashed backward by a force field so powerful that she nearly cried out in agony. But not before she had seem that it was a girl with long, blue black hair, just like her own.  
  
Guys, tell me wot u think, so I noe whether to continue or give up. And please, please, please review, with sugar and chocolate on top? 


	2. cold blood

Hey ppl!! I haven't written only because fanfic was stuffed up and I was totally cut. Neeways, thanx for the reviews, keep at them gurls! I love u!!:P but seriously, tell me what u think, and what there is to improve. Mu*ah  
  
Hugs 'n' watermelons  
  
Kaye~  
  
Raven landed hard. On her butt. And it hurt. He was there too, but, he was standing, or more appropriately, towering over her and smirking. All the vampires she ever knew smirked. Okay, just 2. But wasn't it a strange coincidence?  
  
She stood up and was about to walk away when a flicker of colour caught the corner of her eye. She twirled around and saw a weird boy from her class who kept staring at her. There was something freaky about his eyes... and the way they followed her every move.  
  
Fin was still smirking. He could feel her whole body tense and followed her line of vision, but all he saw was a empty corridor. She was getting ready to walk away, he knew, but she couldn't run forever.  
  
Because they were soulmates. And he was going to destroy her life.  
  
He laughed, a cold laugh which wrapped around Raven's heart like venomous snakes curling tighter and tighter, until she couldn't breathe. She tore her eyes away from his, and ran.  
  
Raven ran through the park which was connected to her house. Except it was getting dark now, and the twilight flickering through the treetops cast an eerie shadow on everything. She let out a sigh of relief when she came to Crystalline, a shop which sold everything a witch could ever want, from dragon's blood powder to a feather of a phoenix. She stepped in and inhaled the familiar smell of old books mingled with the light tang of citrus and musk.  
  
"How's it going, Raven?" Anne, a friend of her grandmother's asked with a kind smile. Raven was grateful for that smile, and smiled back.  
  
"Not so good."  
  
Anne looked concerned, but didn't ask further.  
  
Raven sighed, "I started school today. And I met this guy."  
  
Anne lifted an eyebrow, and Raven shoved her hands in her pockets.  
  
"Something weird happened between us, it was like a magnetic mind field or something, it drew us together." She didn't want to tell Anne about falling into his mind yet, because if she did, her grandmother would know, and be horrified. Especially as Fin was a vampire.  
  
Anne smiled knowingly, "I know there's something you're not telling me, but all the advice I can offer right now is these tarot cards."  
  
Raven looked at them, and Anne continued. "Did you want to try them?"  
  
She spread the card out in a semicircle and told Raven to select one.  
  
Raven closed her eyes and reached out her hand, letting it skim over all the cards. At first she didn't feel anything, but then a tingling sensation like when she used her power built in her finger tips and she flipped over a card.  
  
Anne's face went white. She stared at Raven's card, then stared again. Her pupils were as wide as a cat's eye and her lips trembled slightly. Sweat built on her forehead.  
  
"Anne?"  
  
Raven asked, then looked down at her card and nearly screamed. It was of a girl with her head ripped off and blood running down a white dress.  
  
"Stay away from him...."  
  
Her voice sounded odd and distant, as though it wasn't really Anne speaking but another person. Another being.  
  
The older woman's eyes rolled back into her head as she fainted.  
  
Raven looked around for some smelling salts and waved them lightly under her nose. Anne woke. "What happened?"  
  
She didn't know? Raven decided to keep what she heard to herself, and said, "You just fainted."  
  
She brought some things she needed to cast a circle with and walked out, but when she looked back, she couldn't help noticing that Anne's hands were shaking. Now it was her turn to think that there was something *she* wasn't telling her.  
  
The lights were on in the house and her grandmother was standing on the porch. "I thought something had happened to you on your first day of school. Why are you back so late?"  
  
Raven lowered her head, "Sorry, gran, but I dropped in on Anne."  
  
Her grandmother looked suspicious, but then her eyes started to twinkle as she hinted, "Not off with some handsome boy I suppose?"  
  
"Gran!!!!" Raven let the name drag on then walked into the house and stomped up to her room.  
  
It felt great to be by herself again, and not with people staring at her like some sort of alien life form. Why had she started this whole thing with Fin? And why did Anne tell her to stay away from him? Was Fin who Anne was talking about?  
  
So many unanswered questions tumbled over each other in her mind. She decided to do some meditation.  
  
Raven drew a protective circle on the floor and whispered, "Goddess above, watch over me," tracing the pentagon symbol onto her forehead. She then sat cross legged in the circle, and closed her eyes.  
  
Concentrating on her breathing she imagined a light, filmy, silver wrapping around her, and sinking into her, then it was gold, gold like honey, a soft, dense liquid, and sweet, so sweet that she could almost taste it in her mouth, then it was a velvety midnight blue, and she sunk into it, deeper and deeper into her subconscious until she didn't really know who she was, or what she was, only that she was there, a fragmented being. Blue turned to black, black like the darkest corner of space and a aching loneliness settled in her heart, making it throb and twist and jerk like a puppet. Then she didn't even have feelings anymore, she was part of the air, the sky, the clouds.  
  
Her whole existence jerked on the brink of insanity, and was being pushed towards what looked like a black hole which sucked in everything around her. Then something, or someone was grabbing on to her. "Come back...the voice seemed gentle yet firm, urging her to go back, and she felt such a familiar magnetic connection with that voice, and somehow, even the non- existing her knew that it was Fin. But Fin didn't sound like that. Fin was smug, angry, and his voice held no emotion, unlike this voice which was full of passion. It was pulling her towards him...closer and closer until she could see the black of his eyes, the strong jaw line and the features chiseled in ice.  
  
A beautiful ice statue. Yes, he was beautiful; that was the only word she could think of to describe him right then. He was so close that she could almost feel the warmth of his breath on her face, could almost smell the danger which lurked around him, in the shallows, waiting for a chance to take him away.  
  
Then the world flashed red and that was all she could see. Red, red everywhere, and bodies, burning, devastation. She writhed in the endless torment, she would rather someone rake out her eyes now than to be witness to this, this *terror*. Because one of the bodies was face up, and looking at her, and, smiling. It was him, and he was dying.  
  
Raven jerked out of her meditation and was surprised to find a hot wetness on her cheeks. Tears? Why had she been crying? All she could remember was red. She concentrated but found nothing. The feeling was there before, but now it was gone, dancing just outside the reach of her grasping hands.  
  
She grabbed an old leather book- her diary, and started writing.  
  
~ I just had the strangest session of meditation. I am still washed out with the emotions within it. What emotions, you ask. That is the problem. I cannot remember. I've always been able to remember in detail all the visions I've had before, like when mum....died. It is still hard to write a word which is so final. Strange things have been happening to me, and I can't grasp their concepts. I feel confused. Perhaps I'm going insane? ~  
  
Putting down her pen, Ravem went into the bathroom, splashing cold water onto her face. It was Winter and the water nearly froze in crystal droplets on her face, but at least it cleared her head. The mirror had frosted over but she could still see a blurry reflection of herself. There was something behind her. She twirled around, her power immediately at the base of her neck and at the tips of her fingers. A pair of large green eyes stared at her.  
  
It was a grey tabby. But how had it gotten in? She walked over, and realized that the reason the room was so cold was because the window was half open. She could see dry leaves on the floor, forming a mini tornado of whirring colours. Raven was heading out to get a broom when the kitten meowed. It looked at her mournfully and she sighed. She could never resist fluff balls on legs, who could? And those eyes. If she were like the girls in her class, she would gush and coo, but she wasn't. She went downstairs, and put some milk into a saucer, then into the microwave to heat it up a bit as it was seriously frozen. Yawing, she reached up on tippy toes and got out some leftover fish from dinner, placing it in a bowl.  
  
Raven was just taking these things upstairs when her grandmother poked her head out of the bathroom. "Hungry?" she asked, all the while looking at the fish on her plate and feeling a little more than disturbed. "Um, no grandma, *I* personally don't think that fish would taste too good with milk, but the kitten in my room might like it."  
  
Her grandmother's eyebrows flew up. "Since when did we have a kitten in this household?"  
  
"Uh, since now," Raven said as she saw a very guilty looking kitten coming out of gran's room and leaving behind a large wet patch on the cream carpet. Her grandma followed her line of vision and all but screamed. Actually, she shrieked.  
  
"My carpet!!!"  
  
That was how 'Tabby', which was the most original name Raven could think of, became part of the family.  
  
"No, Tabby, you are not coming to school with me!" Raven scolded as the mischievous kitten attempted to squeeze into her rather large pencil case. Tabby was small for a cat. Raven shook her out, and the cat landed on all fours. No wonder there was the old saying, "Cats always land on their feet."  
  
She threw on a sweater and pulled on some jeans, then headed out the door. The bus rumbled along, except this time, she wasn't late. The driver, or ol' Bluey looked particularly cranky today, but smiled when she stepped on. "What now?" Raven asked.  
  
The driver spoke, "I'm not sure you would want that kitten coming to school with you."  
  
Raven was confused. "Tabby? Where?"  
  
Ol' Bluey pointed with a grin and Raven looked over her shoulder to see two pointy furry ears and curious whiskers poking out of her bag. She could feel heat rising onto her cheeks.  
  
"Tabby! Haven't you heard the saying curiosity killed the cat before?"  
  
The kitten just looked up at her with innocent green eyes and a quizzical expression which almost made her laugh out loud. She seemed to be saying, "What cat?"  
  
Raven gently plucked the kitten out of her bag and into her arms. "Um, Sir?"  
  
"Yes?" the driver looked amused.  
  
"Could you wait a sec while I go and throw this cat into the house?" she joked. He nodded.  
  
She into the house and without explaining to her surprised grandmother, put Tabby on the floor, then rushed out again, with laughter ringing in her ears as her grandmother realized what had happened.  
  
Raven rushed back onto the bus and plonked herself down next to Jay, who was grinning madly. "Since when did you have a cat?" she asked.  
  
"Since yesterday." Raven replied and proceeded to tell Jay all about Tabby's antics. The bus stopped again, and the students were silent again.  
  
She looked up and regretted it, her eyes connecting with those fathomless black eyes. Jay tensed up beside her, but relaxed as the gang passed them towards the end of the bus. The class recluse, Raymond, was sitting there.  
  
The gang closed in around him and sneered at his glasses. "Four-eyes, why are you sitting in *our* spot?" a guy behind Fin asked.  
  
Raven was about to stand up when Jay placed a restraining hand on her arm. "Don't." she said.  
  
Raven swallowed her anger and the power which was building at the base of her throat. Her good mood of the morning had disappeared into thin dust and her teeth were grinding against each other.  
  
But when the guy placed a hard punch onto Raymond's face, she stood up, her power throbbing with every beat of her heat. Her eyes had turned a dangerous quicksilver colour which shifted shades with every passing second. She walked silently past the guy, and blasted him with the full force of her power, hearing him cry out in agony, then walked back as though nothing had happened. The students turned to look at the boy, who couldn't say anything because that would mean betraying the existence of the Night World to the humans, and that was a law punishable by death.  
  
Only he had heard the low frequency whisper in his ear, "Don't pick on the weak, or you pay."  
  
But Fin had heard it too. He had always thought Mark was too hot-headed and impulsive for his own good. This would teach him against it. He silently praised the girl's smartness in using the Night World itself to threaten the Hunters of the Night World. That was what their gang was called. The Hunters.  
  
The cafeteria was crowded at lunch time, and Raven realized that her and Jay's little table of two now occupied a new member.  
  
Raymond. And by the way Jay was looking at him, she could tell that there was something going on between the two. She sat down and hummed "Love is in the Air" but was cut short when Jay kicked her under the table.  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
Jay shot her a warning look and she shut up.  
  
After eating her lunch, and finding out that Raymond was really a very friendly guy, she made up an excuse and went to the bathroom. In reality, she just wanted to give them a few minutes.  
  
She hummed as she strolled down the hallway. Fin blocked her path, and pushed her into an empty classroom.  
  
"What do you want?" she snapped, ignoring her speeding heart.  
  
"You're a smart one, *witch girl*."  
  
He knew she was a witch? Goddess above, help her.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Don't try to play innocent with me, I know what you did to Mark."  
  
"You mean that fish on legs?"  
  
Fin found that description of Mark quite accurate but forced back a smile. Instead he stared at her.  
  
Her silver eyes flashed like the glint of a knife under the moonlight.  
  
"I won't play dumb with you, Fin *Redfern*." She was satisfied by his slightly startled expression. She had made a wild stab in the dark, but she guessed she had stabbed the right place.  
  
Fin regained his composure. She had just signed her death warrant. No one could know who he was and still live.  
  
They both stood still for a moment, and just looked.  
  
She wasn't afraid of him, he could tell. And he knew what he was in her eyes. A monster.  
  
Perhaps he was. Perhaps he was.  
  
Raven stared at the eerie half-smile which had formed on the corner of his proud lips. What was he thinking? She panicked. Right now there was only her, and this leech who was her....she saw it reflected in his eyes, her soulmate?  
  
Dear Goddess and Gods, Jesus Christ our Savior, Buddha, help her!  
  
He reached out, maybe to strike her and she blocked her face, her other hand immediately going in for his pressure points. Her grandmother hadn't taught her for nothing. A few easy flicks of her hand and he was immobilized as she blocked his main pressure points with a sure and steady hand.  
  
His black eyes smoldered. "What sort of magic is this?"  
  
Raven smiled and replied, "It's not magic."  
  
His pressure points would break by themselves in half an hour. In that time, no one, not even *herself* would be able to unblock them, that's why she rarely used it. But with bloodsucking leeches like him, she had no choice.  
  
Her hands seemed colder than usual and she shivered as she walked towards the door. Raven tried to push it open, but the door seemed to be locked. But that wasn't possible! She saw her breath coming out in white puffs and was sure the air was chilly.  
  
The door had to be jammed. She kicked a few more times but it was no use.  
  
"It's no use."  
  
"I think I can tell!"  
  
"We are in one of the main freezers of the school, which is why you feel so cold."  
  
It was funny how he could read her mind just like that. She always thought she protected herself well, but it seems she was wrong. Wait a second. Did he say freezer?  
  
Goddess! Was she going to freeze to death in this place?  
  
She looked around and noticed the cartons of milk. Her teeth were chattering and she was cold. Her thin sweater was no prevention against the chill settling in her bones. She jumped up and down, then remembered Fin. He had his eyes closed. She should find a way to undo his pressure points. He must be freezing. But she stopped herself from going over there immediately. Did vampires feel cold? After all, they were cold blooded creatures themselves.  
  
But seriously. It was freezing. Two points for guessing why it was called a freezer. She hated her conscience. She could seriously throttle it.  
  
Raven walked over to where Fin lay on the floor, slowly, cautiously. She had to find out a way to undo his pressure points, otherwise he would freeze to death. She reached out with her hand, and was surprised to find his as cold as ice. She looked behind him. Maybe that was because he was leaning against a block of ice?  
  
Was he dead? Could vampires die from cold? She was cold, but he was freezing.  
  
Raven was getting scared, and her heart caught in her throat. He couldn't be dead.  
  
Her hands were like bricks as she fumbled around, trying to undo his pressure points. All through this he didn't make on sound. Her normally nimble hands were clumsy, and she flicked a few wrong places before his pressure point broke.  
  
But he didn't move. She felt his forehead. Through the cold, it was burning. A cold, clammy hand grabbed hers, and she looked up to see him staring at her.  
  
"You tricked me!" She cried out, and pushed him away. She should have realized that vampires didn't feel cold. She should have known, because they were inhuman. But something in the pit of her stomach told her she was wrong. A jerking feeling tumbled her insides around. She realized that all through this time he hadn't made a sound.  
  
She looked at him again, but he was lying face down on the floor.  
  
"Um, hello?"  
  
The bad feeling was back, and their soulmate connection flared, but she forced it back to its dark corner. She once again walked toward him, and reached for his hand, feeling frantically for a pulse. For the moment, she had forgotten her own cold. There was none! No, wait, there it was, a faint, slow, fluttering of the wrist.  
  
"Fin?" it was the first time that she had said his name out loud, and it sent fire tingling alone her skin.  
  
No answer.  
  
She flipped him over to find his eyes closed. "Fin?" she whispered urgently and the dark crescents resting on his cheeks fluttered. The eyes which looked out at her give her a shock, she would never be accustomed to the blackness of them, as though the darkness of the whole universe were gathered behind them, as though they were the darkness itself. Pure vampire eyes.  
  
Yet, her soulmate's eyes. Eyes which were now staring at her intently.  
  
"Just take the chance while I'm at my weakest and then knock me down. And what was it that you always say? Never hunt the weakest?" his voice was hoarse, and he was cold, his lips were going blue. She looked so beautiful he ached for her, but he forced it back.  
  
"I t-thought you were kidding,"  
  
He shook his head. "What time is it?"  
  
Raven looked at her watch, and lifting her hand realizing that it was numb from the cold.  
  
"I c-can't move my hand," she said in a halting sentence. She couldn't seem to form the words on her mouth, because she couldn't feel her mouth. In fact, she couldn't feel anything.  
  
Fin didn't know why, all he knew was that she was suffering from hyperthermia and she needed to get warm. He grabbed her hand and resisted her feeble attempt to snatch it back. He rubbed his hands over hers, and blew warm air onto them.  
  
At first Raven couldn't feel anything, then, a sharp, stinging pain told her that her hand was back. She could take it out of his palms but for some reason she didn't want to.  
  
"Sh-shit, it's c-cold." She muttered. Then laughed. "To think I'm g-going to d-die in a f-f-f-freezer!"  
  
Fin took off his jacket and put it around her. He could sense her mind, and the more she hurt, the more his heart ached. And if they were going to die here at least she would live. And they were alone.  
  
"You, i-i-idiot! W-what are you d-d-doing?!"  
  
"Giving you my jacket." Fin stated.  
  
"You'll f-freeze!"  
  
"You're the one who can't talk properly. Vampires can't feel cold, remember?"  
  
"No! I'm n-not t-t-t-taking your frickin jacket! At the m-m-most, we'll share!" she had some pride left. Leeches were idiots. Well, this leech was.  
  
Fin was surprised. She tugged the jacket over both of them and snuggled up against him.  
  
Although the freezer was cold and the hard floor seemed to be sucking the warmth out of their weak bodies, Fin felt warm.  
  
And happy.  
  
"Don't sleep!"  
  
Fin's voice jerked her out of her sleepiness. She had tried to reach her power for some warmth, but it was no use. She was too weak. She couldn't even find the tail end of her power, let alone use it.  
  
It would be so easy to just close her eyes for a moment and she was so, so tired. She wasn't cold anymore. She could feel his arm on her shoulder. Maybe it was because she was too cold to feel cold.  
  
Fin could feel her slipping away.  
  
"Raven!"  
  
He staggered up and placed his jacket on her. The door had to open. He kicked at it and punched until his knuckles bled.  
  
The cold was seeping into his blood. Only one of them could live in this world of hunters and *prey*. He flicked out a pocket knife and slashed it quickly over his wrist, his eyes black and focused.  
  
Then Fin whispered, "For my soulmate...."  
  
The door blasted open as though by some unseen force. Fin carried Raven out, his blood dripping onto her clothes, her hair catching some of it in droplets, giving an overall red sheen to it's glossy blackness. All he could see was red, and it was forming circles against his vision.  
  
Then, he collapsed.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
There was blood. That was the first thing Raven saw. And from the gash on Fin's wrist, blood poured out like a stream.  
  
"Fin?"  
  
Her own hands were covered in red, and her heart screamed out in pain.  
  
It was only then did she realize.... vampires' blood, were warm. 


End file.
